MARK O'NEILL, BACP

Client-centred therapy starts by placing your concerns at the centre of sessions and following the pace you set. It helps when someone needs a listening ear, validation and a gentle guide to explore feelings and choices.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions link together. It gives simple tools to test out different ways of thinking and small behavioural steps to reduce anxiety, improve sleep or tackle addictive urges.

Emotionally-focused ideas help people map patterns in close relationships and notice the emotions that drive behaviour. This can be useful for intimacy-related problems, commitment worries and communication difficulties.

Choosing the right approach is part of the process and the therapist will work with the client to find what fits best. Sessions begin with listening to your goals and trying methods that match what you want to change. The pace and tools can be adjusted as you learn what helps.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls are good for face-to-face conversation and non-verbal cues, while phone sessions require less bandwidth and can fit into a short break. Live chat and text-based messaging suit brief check-ins, written reflection and people who prefer typing to speaking. These options make it easier to keep therapy regular around work, family commitments and travel.